U.S. Women’s National Team, Germany vie for 2013 Algarve Cup title today in Faro, Portugal

By News Desk / March 13, 2013

After a physical 1-1 draw with Sweden that gave the U.S. Women’s National Team the Group B title and a berth to the 2013 Algarve Cup championship game, the Americans face Germany for the tournament title on Wed., March 13, in a match broadcast on Pay-Per-View at 1 p.m. ET (5 p.m. local). The match will pit the top two teams in the most recent FIFA Women’s World Rankings and will be played at the 30,000-seat Algarve Stadium, a beautiful venue built for the 2004 European Championships.

ALGARVE CUP FINAL TELEVISED IN THE USA FOR FIRST TIME: For the first time, the Algarve Cup championship will be broadcast on television in the United States. The Algarve Cup is being distributed by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, Avail-TVN, DIRECTV and DISH for a suggested retail price of $14.95 per match. Additional same day replays will be available. Check with your Pay-Per-View provider for replay times. Fans can visit Integratedsportsnet.com for updates on TV coverage. Fans can also watch the matches online via Pay-Per-View. For web-streaming information go to http://www.ustream.tv/integratedsportsppv. The championship can also be followed via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

20th Annual Algarve CupThe Algarve, Portugal

Group AGermany, Norway, Japan, Denmark

Group BUSA , Sweden, Iceland, China PR

Group CPortugal, Hungary, Wales, Mexico

20th Annual Algarve Cup
Group B Standings

Team

W

L

T

GF

GA

GD

Points

United States

2

0

1

9

1

+8

7

Sweden

1

0

2

8

3

+5

5

China PR

1

1

1

2

6

-4

4

Iceland

0

3

0

1

10

-9

0

March 6United States 3, Iceland 0Sweden 1, China PR 1

March 8United States 5, China PRSweden 6, Iceland 1

March 11United States 1, Sweden 1China PR 1, Iceland 0

Group A Standings

Team

Games

W

L

T

GF

GA

GD

Points

Germany

3

2

0

1

4

1

+3

7

Norway

3

1

1

1

2

2

0

4

Japan

3

1

2

0

3

4

-1

3

Denmark

3

0

1

2

0

2

-2

2

March 6Norway 2, Japan 0
Denmark 0, Germany 0

March 8Germany 2, Japan 1
Norway 0, Denmark 0

March 11Japan 2, Denmark 0
Germany 2, Norway 0

ALGARVE CUP FORMAT: Since the expansion to 12 teams 12 years ago, the Algarve Cup format has been as follows: The winners of Groups A and B will compete for the Algarve Cup championship, this year to take place on Wednesday, March 13. The two second-place finishers in Groups A and B will play for third place while the third-place finishers in each group will play for fifth. The Group C teams will be competing for a chance to play for spots seven through 12 as the winner of Group C will play the best fourth-place team from Groups A or B for seventh place. The second-place team in Group C will play the worst fourth-place team from Groups A or B for ninth place, and the third- and fourth-place finishers in Group C will play each other for 11th place. There are provisions in the regulations this year for an adjustment to the format for placement games if the teams that finished third in both groups are playing each other in the group phase of this summer’s European championships. Following are the matchups for the placement matches:

GROUP A RECAP: Norway needed just a tie to advance to the championship game while Germany needed to win, and win they did, getting goals from Celia Okoyino Da Mbabi in the 52nd minute and a clincher from Nadine Geßler in the 86th. Norway had several excellent chances to equalize in the second half, but in the end, the Germans were the deserved winners and earned a berth to their fourth Algarve Cup championship game. After losing its first two games, Japan rallied to defeat Denmark 2-0 and take third place in the group. Japan got first half goals from Nahomi Kawasumi and Yuki Ogimi to earn a spot in the 5th place match against China, meaning the tournament’s two teams from the Asia Confederation will meet in a placement match far from their continent.

GROUP B RECAP: Sweden took an early lead on the United States with a world class strike from distance by Lisa Dahlkvist, but the Americans needed just a tie to advance to the Algarve Cup title game and equalized in the 56th minute on an Alex Morgan header. The tie was good enough to return the USA to the Algarve Cup title game after playing in the third-place match last year. Prior to 2011, the USA had played in nine straight Algarve Cup championship games. In the other Group B match, China defeated Iceland 1-0 on a goal from Zeng Ying. Iceland scored just one goal in group play while allowing 10.

GROUP C RECAP: Allfour teams went into the final match day knotted at three points apiece and Mexico emerged as the group winning with a 3-0 victory against host Portugal. Mexico got goals from Nayeli Rangel, Dinora Garza and Renae Cuellar to take first place in the group and earn a match against Denmark for 7th place. Hungary and Wales tied 1-1 pushing the Welsh to the bottom of the group where they will face Portugal for 11th place.

For a full listing of the 2013 Algarve Cup tournament schedule and results, go to the tournament page on ussoccer.com.

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD PLAYER OF THE YEAR WAMBACH #CHASINGMIA: U.S. WNT forward Abby Wambach was named the 2012 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year at the 2012 FIFA Ballon d’Or gala in Zurich, Switzerland, in early January and all eyes will be on her as she inches closer to the world goal scoring record. Wambach is currently sitting on 154 career goals after scoring against Iceland on March 6 in the USA’s Algarve Cup opener and is now only four behind the legendary Mia Hamm, the 2001 and 2002 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year, who had 158 career international scores from 1987-2004. ussoccer.com will provide coverage of Wambach’s climb to the record and you can join the chase by using the hashtag #ChasingMia.

USA WILL PLAY THREE MORE MATCHES ABROAD AFTER ALGARVE CUP: The U.S. WNT will be back in Europe just two weeks after the end of the Algarve Cup, preparing for matches against Germany (April 5) and the Netherlands (April 9). The USA will also play in Canada in June.

U.S. ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The USA came to the 2013 Algarve Cup with a 23-player roster, but is down to 20 after goalkeeper Jill Loyden broke her hand, Lauren Cheney returned to the USA due to a family matter and Carli Lloyd was diagnosed with a broken shoulder, putting her out 6-8 weeks. U.S. head coach Tom Sermanni now has two goalkeepers, seven defenders, seven midfielders and five forwards at his disposal. Of the USA’s 21 players, just four are over 30 in team captain Christie Rampone (37 years old), Shannon Boxx (35), Abby Wambach (32) and Nicole Barnhart (31). The youngest player on the squad is 18-year-old forward Lindsey Horan, who earned her first cap during the USA’s 5-0 victory against China PR on March 8. Sixteen of the players on the roster were at the tournament last year. Four players – defender Crystal Dunn, midfielder Kristie Mewis, Horan and forward Christen Press – are at their first Algarve Cup.

U.S. ROSTER NOTES

Nine different players have scored the USA’s nine goals so far in the Algarve Cup, something that has never happened before at the Algarve Cup.

In the USA’s 17 previous Algarve Cup appearances, the only other time eight different players scored in the tournament was in 2011 (and that was through all four matches), when Amy Rodriguez, Megan Rapinoe, Lindsey Tarpley, Carli Lloyd, Shannon Boxx, Alex Morgan, Lauren Cheney and Heather O’Reilly all tallied. The USA won its eight tournament title that year.

U.S. head coach Tom Sermanni has played all 23 players on the U.S. roster during the tournament.

All players on the roster are eligible to play in the tournament. Each team is allowed six substitutes per match.

With her 202nd cap earned on March 11 against Sweden, Abby Wambach moved past Kate Markgraf into seventh place on the USA’s all-time caps list.

Wambach’s 19 goals are tops all-time at the Algarve Cup for a U.S. player and one of the leaders all-time in the 20-year history of the tournament.

The USA has been shut out in just seven of its 70 all-time Algarve Cup games (with two coming in 2001), but was shut out twice in 2006, with both games ending 0-0 in regulation against China and Germany. The tie against China in the 2006 Algarve opener broke a streak of 17 straight games in which the USA had scored at this tournament.

Four teams have played in all 20 Algarve Cups so far: Denmark, Norway, Sweden and host Portugal.

29 different countries have participated in the 20 editions of the Algarve Cup.

The USA is 5-1-2 all-time at the Algarve Stadium, site of many of this tournament’s championship games.

NO. 1 vs. NO. 2 HISTORY

The U.S. WNT is 6-0-4 all-time in games pitting the No. 1 and No. 2 FIFA-ranked teams.

The USA is 4-0-2 when ranked No. 1 and playing the No. 2 team.

The U.S. is 2-0-2 when ranked No. 2 and playing the No. 1 team.

In the 40 editions since the women’s rankings began in July of 2003, only the USA and Germany have been ranked No. 1. The U.S. has held the top spot 24 times and Germany has been No. 1 on 16 occasions.

Norway and Brazil are the only two other countries ranked in the No. 2 spot. Norway was second in July and August of 2003 and Brazil was No. 2 in March and June of 2009.

Here is the breakdown of the nine USA games featuring No. 1 vs. No. 2, with the top-ranked team listed first in the score:

The USA is 17-4-6 against Germany all-time and has only one loss in the past 17 matches (11-1-6) since 1997. The scoreless draw on March 15, 2006, resulted in Germany winning the match 4-3 on penalty kicks in the Algarve Cup Final in Faro, Portugal.

The last time the two teams met at the Algarve Cup it was in the title game of the 2010 tournament, a wild 3-2 victory for the USA in which the Americans sent up 2-0 on goals from Carli Lloyd and Abby Wambach before Germany pulled a goal back before halftime. Lauren Cheney made it 3-1 in the 69 th minute and Germany added its second in the 74th, the second of the afternoon for Inka Grings.

The two sides met most recently in two matches on the USA’s post-Olympics Fan Tribute Tour with both games ending in draws, 1-1 in Bridgeview, Ill., and 2-2 in East Hartford, Conn. Abby Wambach scored in both games and Tobin Heath added a goal in the second match.

The U.S. has outscored Germany 55-26 all-time.

The series dates back to a 4-2 U.S. victory on May 30, 1991, in Kaiserslautern, Germany, as Carin Jennings and Michelle Akers had two goals apiece for the USA.

The two teams have met once in the Olympics, with a 19-year-old Heather O’Reilly scoring a 99th-minute game-winner to upend Germany 2-1 in the semifinals on Aug. 23, 2004, in Heraklio, Greece. The USA would win the gold medal against Brazil three days later, while Germany settled for bronze against Sweden.

The U.S. is 2-1-0 against Germany in Women’s World Cup play. In the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup Semifinals, the USA defeated Germany 5-2 on Nov. 27. Jennings had a hat trick and April Heinrichs had two goals as the U.S. would win the World Cup against Norway on Nov. 30. The U.S. also posted a 3-2 victory on July 1, 1999, in Landover, Md. Germany’s one World Cup win against the USA – a 3-0 decision – came on Oct. 5, 2003, in Portland, Ore.

On May 22, 2010, Abby Wambach scored two goals – her 106th and 107th – to pass Michelle Akers (105) for third on the U.S. WNT all-time scoring list during the USA’s 4-0 win against Germany at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

IN FOCUS: GERMANYGerman Football Association (Deutscher Fußball-Bund)
Founded: 1900 (Joined FIFA in 1904)
Head Coach: Silvia Neid
FIFA World Ranking: 2
Best FIFA World Cup Finish: Champion in 2003 and 2007
Best Olympics Finish: Third place in 2000, 2004 and 2008

Germany’s four goals in the tournament have come from Celia Okoyino Da Mbabi, Nadine Geßler, Dzsenifer Marozsan and Verena Faißt.

Dzsenifer Marozsan was the Golden Ball winner as the best player of the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Laura Benkarth won the Golden Glove as the top goalkeeper in the tournament.

Goalkeeper Nadine Angerer leads the team with 110 career appearances. The 34-year-old has been a part of Germany’s national team since 1996, serving many of her early years as a backup to Silke Rottenberg.

Seven players on Germany’s roster play for 1. FFC Frankfurt, but one member of the club who is not on the national team is star midfielder Fatmire Bajramaj, who tore her ACL and is rushing to get back for the European championships.

Germany has several key players out with injuries, including Simone Laudehr and Annike Krahn, who are not on the roster, and star midfielder Kim Kulig, who is in Portugal but is unlikely to play. Several players have also been a bit sick during the Algarve Cup.

Head coach Silvia Neid is a former German international who scored 48 goals in 111 appearances. She has been in a coaching role with the team for the past 17 years, serving as an assistant from 1996 to 2005 before taking on the head coaching duties following Tina Theune.

Germany rampaged through its qualification run for the 2013 European Women’s Championship to be held this summer in Sweden. Germany took 28 points from 10 matches, with the only blemish a 2-2 tie against Spain, who finished well behind with 20 points.

Germany has won the past five European Women’s Championships, meaning no other country has lifted that trophy in almost 20 years.

The European Championships feature 12 countries, and Germany is in Group B with Norway, the Netherlands and Iceland. Germany opens its European title defense on July 11 against the Dutch.